Don't let the term "historical mystery" put you off. Although it is indeed both historical and something of a mystery, the book has much more to offer. The story itself is a real page turner and will be an easy read for most everyone (always appreciated.) It pulls the reader in quickly and moves along at a great clip. There will be much to discuss and the answers will almost never be right or wrong. A very chilling, thought provoking book. If your group is suffering from exhaustion after reading too many difficult books and wading through too many heated discussions of controversial books (as ours has been,) I recommend this book as a nice return to why we love to read. Above all, Affinity is a gripping story told by a master storyteller.